The Phoenix Judge
by Ink Runs Through My Veins
Summary: A heart-shaped face. Long, glossy onyx hair. Ice blue eyes that could freeze even the bravest man in his tracks. All words to describe Melanie. But the Eye didn't seek her out simply because she was beautiful. They sought her out because of her title: The Phoenix Judge. Three difficult trials to prove her worth to the Eye. And she will only succeed with a bit of luck and magic.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

The stage setting was a giant empty warehouse. The seats were filled to the brim–a full house–and the audience was waiting with eager anticipation for their favorite magician. But neither of these facts frightened Melanie Kennith. In fact, she would even go so far as to say she was just as excited as them.

Because rule number one in Mel's book of magic: never be afraid to show the world your talents.

A stagehand motioned that she was on in five minutes. Melanie nodded and took a deep breath as she took her place.

* * *

The stage was her home, her magic her husband and child. The show was her life and there was nothing better than the rush of seeing someone smile because of her.

And tonight was no different.

Smoke surrounded the stage and the lights went dim.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mel spoke from a microphone. "welcome to Mel's Magnificent Magic Show!" The crowd went wild. Shouts and screams from all directions and Mel felt she was drunk with happiness. Several red spotlights appeared where Mel stood, waving to the crowd. Her fire red skin-tight leotard shimmered in the red of the spotlight. As soon as the applauding stopped, Mel raised her arm and waved to the crowd. "Hello to everyone today and thank you for coming. I apologize, but tonight I'm only doing one show." She paused so the audience could express their displeasure. "So for my final act I will need a volunteer." Immediately hands shot up from the crowd. She pursed her lips and raised her brows in surprise. "A lot of hands. Wow. Alright then." Mel closed her eyes and pointed up. "Lets have," She paused for a moment before pointing to someone in front of her. "you, the man with the blue shirt. Come on down." The crowd cheered as the man hustled down to the stage. "Hi. Whats your name?" She handed him a microphone.

"Kevin."

"And will you do what is asked of you?"

He smiled with confidence. "Whatever you want baby."

"What a pig." Mel thought. Out loud, she asked, "Without any questions?"

He didn't even hesitate. "Absolutely."

She smiled. "Alright Kevin. I'm about to perform some magic and I need you as an...assistant of sorts. Can you do that?" She grinned harder at his enthusiastic nod. "Great! Now, I'm about to step into that circle," She pointed to the dotted circles in the middle of the stage, one bigger that the other. "but I'm not sure if you can follow me or not." She turned and addressed the crowd. "Who thinks he should step into the _**ring of fire**_!" The roar of the crowd would have deafened a lesser professional than Mel. "Alright then!" She slowly walked to the middle the ring. When she was positioned, she turned to Kevin, who was staring at Mel's body so hard she thought he was going to catch on fire before she did. She would have just yelled at him right then and there, but that would ruin the whole point of the show. She beckoned with her index finger, trying to look as seductive as she could. "Come. Step into my ring. See if you can survive the _**heat**_."

Like he was in a trance, he slowly walked towards her. When he was between the two circles, she motioned for him to stop. "Why?" He whined.

"Stay back." Her voice became harsh.

"But–"

Before he could complete his sentence, fire sprung out of the circles. Kevin shouted out in horror and leaped back, his clothes set ablaze. The audience gasped and screamed. But Melanie didn't look concerned. In fact, with the flames surrounding her, her glaring at him and her hair flying out behind her, she looked down right scary. "Kevin Forbes, the Phoenix Judge has summoned you and this is your trial. True or false: did you, or did you not, cheat on Yasmin Brooks?" He looked so helpless and scared she was tempted to just let him go. But she was a professional. And she did not break her promises. "Tell me!" She shrieked when she received no response.

"Yes!" He shouted. "Yes I did!"

"With who?"

He whimpered. "Her sister."

The audience 'ooohed'. Mel turned back to the crowd. "Yasmin, please stand up." A teary-eyed girl from the audience stood up. "Is this him?"

Yasmin nodded. "Yes."

"Did this man hurt you?"

Yasmin burst out crying, holding her head in her hands. "Yes!"

"Did this man, while he was cheating on you, have the nerve to accuse _**you **_of cheating on him in front of all your friends?"

"Yes yes yes!" Yasmin wailed hysterically.

Mel turned back to the sobbing boy. "You have been brought forth to be judged, Kevin Forbes. Will you plead innocent or guilty?"

"Guilty!" He shouted. "I'm guilty! Whatever you want me to say! Just get these flames off me!"

Mel rose her arms. Flames sprouted out of her arms, spreading around her. "Kevin Forbes, I condemn you." She lifted her hands to the ceiling, her flames surrounding her, and she suddenly began to float. She looked down on the sobbing boy. "You have been judged by the Phoenix. Your sentence?" She rose higher. "To burn."

She raised her head.

And dove straight at the boy.

The audience screamed in horror.

* * *

Five people, four men and one woman, surrounded a round table. They sat out on a veranda overlooking the Eiffel Tower. A scruffy-looking man stood up and pushed a picture of a young out in the middle of the table.

"The Eye." He began to speak. "Melanie Kennith is suited to be one of us. Question is, what makes her so special?"

"What makes her special?" The only woman spoke. "Other than her illusions, she is also famous for her other name: The Phoenix Judge. We all know Melanie Kennith; she's a sixteen year-old prodigy who can make real flames appear out of nowhere. Nobody can figure out how she does it. Even people like Thaddeus Bradley can't figure it out. Of course, that just makes her even more famous. They say she used to be a thief, but no one could prove anything or connect any crimes to her name."

The youngest man lazily shrugged. "The purpose of the Phoenix Judge is to humiliate people who deserve it. She does intensive research on whoever someone wants her to condemn before actually doing it. They say she has a friend who is in with the CIA and FBI, someone who can get her any credit card number, any social security number, even the _**email password**_ of anyone who lives in the United States. She has a good source and apparently she's never been misdirected once."

A bald man spoke up. "She also takes up hypnotism as a hobby and uses it in her shows. I saw a show of hers once. She hypnotized several of the audience members with such finesse, she should really be given a medal. God," He shook his head in envy. "even I couldn't do it with that much grace."

"There has to be _**something**_ wrong with the girl." The last male said. "No one can be that perfect."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Face it Danny; you just don't like her because you can't see any flaws in her performance and it makes you jealous."

The man, Danny, otherwise known as Daniel, rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. The youngest man chuckled. "Nice one Henley."

"Shut up Jack."

The scruffiest man rolled his eyes. "If you guys are done behaving like children..."

"Sorry." They all muttered.

"There is one weird thing about her." The bald man piped up.

"Speak Merritt." The scruffiest man commanded.

"In all the shows I've gone to, I've never seen her with an assistant. She always calls her audience members assistants, but I've never seen her with a certified assistant. And not all of her assistants get condemned."

"Whats so weird about that?" Asked Henley.

"Some say that the last person who was her assistant burned to death. They also say that Melanie was the one who sent her to hell."

Jack whistled, low but clear. "We sure we want her?"

The scruffiest man turned away from the table to gaze out at the view. "We need her on our team. I've managed to secure us a live performance in Athens, on the Hecate Stage. But the show requires five members."

All four of the magicians gasped. Anyone in the show business profession knew how much of a career booster it was for someone to perform on the Hecate stage. As the goddess of magic, Hecate was especially _**essential**_ to magicians. "How did you do that Dylan?" Daniel asked.

Dylan smiled mischievously. "All it took was a bit of convincing and..._**magic**_." The rest of the magicians shivered. Though they respected the man immensely, he still scared the shit out of all of them. "But the problem remains: we need a fifth member. I only managed to set us up if we had a fifth member. We need Melanie. And like it or not,_**you guys **_need her more than I do. So is it her? Or are we going to look for someone else?" The magicians looked at one another and nodded. "Good." He suddenly smiled. "And unlike last time, if you want to help this all move a bit faster, you can help her out. Assist her shows and help keep the cops off her trail."

Henley raised a brow. "But _**should**_ we is the question."

He waved dismissively. "You are all free to do as you wish."

* * *

Mel stretched her arms as she walked into the amphitheater. Another stupid boy condemned, another broken girl consoled and another full house for the show. Everything in Melanie's life was perfect.

A glimmer from the stage caught her eye. Centered exactly where she had been during the show was a card. She frowned as she walked to the middle of the stage and picked up the card. It was a tarot card, the Star Card. Raising a brow, she turned the card over.

_March 15th_

_5:55 PM_

_555 Harper Court, Tobias_

_Rhode Island_

_Don't be late._

Melanie grinned and took off to call her manager.

* * *

Five weeks later Melanie hoped out of a taxi and began to strut down Harper Court. She had to practically wrestle her manager to get the time off, but it was worth it. A half a year of vacation was just what she needed.

But if Mel's intuition was right, she suspected her vacation would be a little shorter lived than she would have liked.

After walking around for awhile, she finally arrived at her destination. To call it a shack was a bit of an understatement. The whole frame looked like it was leaning to one side, towards the sea. The wood was a fading gray and brown color. Mel rolled her eyes and walked towards it. "You'd think that they'd find a place a bit less trashy." She looked down at her watch. 5:55 exactly.

It was time.

Mel knocked on the door. When no one came to it, she tired to push it open and found that it was locked. Rolling her eyes again, she took a pin out of her and began to hack at the lock. Less than five seconds later it was open.

The interior obviously wasn't anything special. Torn sails and life buoys were thrown about randomly, some were even pinned to the walls. The furniture looked like it needed to be replaced twenty years ago and everything was covered in a small layer of dust.

It wasn't until the door mysteriously closed behind her that Mel noticed the neon arrows pointing to another room. Shrugging, Mel followed the arrows into a hallway. That hallway led to a staircase going deeper underground. After walking down for awhile, she noticed light-filled door at the end of the staircase. Rolling her eyes at how cliché it all was, she slowly descended the staircase and stepped into the brightness.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry I haven't been updating lately. Hopefully that will change. Until then, here is the next chapter of The Phoenix Judge.

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

_Six Months Later _

* * *

The stage was a giant tent, much like one would see at a circus. Except without the gaudy whites and reds. Nebulae and star formations spreading across the tent like paint on a canvas. And if one looked closely, they could even say that it was moving. The lights were all dimmed except for the single spotlight centered at the stage. Inside, the walls ceiling was just as magical as the outside of the tent.

Mel found herself ringing her hands together as she watched the audience pile in from a high branch in Lionelle Shrike's tree (the other Horsemen had been insistent in this location for some reason, and who was she to stop them?). It had been half a year since she had done a performance and she wasn't just nervous, she was freaking _**scared**_.

It happens when you've been out of practice for six months.

Mel felt like she could have used a few more months, but the Horsemen felt that she was ready. Not to mention that the last thing she wanted to do was give Daniel an excuse to point out what a perfect teacher he was.

Ha! Now that memory was hysterical. While the Four Horsemen were all good at what they did, they could not teach a 16-year old magician new tricks. Eventually, they all decided to just take it one at a time and that was more than a relief for Mel.

"Hey." She turned to see Jack Wilder sauntering over to her. One thing about Jack that she learned pretty quickly: he never walks. He either _**struts **_or _**saunters**_, but he never walks. "Nervous?"

Mel rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm nervous. I haven't performed in front of a live audience in ages." She pouted. "Just because I'm a prodigy, I got less time. How in the world is that fair?"

"You're a _**prodigy**_." He said that last word as if it explained everything. Jack rolled his eyes as he caught her glancing at the flow of the crowd. "Relax. It's not like being tense will do you any good. Besides, we'll be right there with you."

"You guys are part of my act! You can't even _**do **_anything if anything goes wrong!"

He suddenly smiled and reached up to her. Without even noticing, she slid down from her branch and floated into his arms. "You'll be the star of the show. And you know we have your back in case anything happens. And trust me, _**nothing **_will happen."

She sighed and glanced at the crowd one more time. "You sure I can do this?"

He surprised her by kissing her forehead. "You will perform spectacularly or my name isn't Jack Wilder."

She grinned. "You got something you want to say to me Jackie?"

He clutched his heart dramatically. "Alas, you have caught me in my act." Mel snorted at his choice of wording. "My real name is Francois, heir to the throne of Tuvalu!"

She couldn't help but laugh and roll her eyes. "Is that even a real country?"

"Its actually located somewhere between Australia and Hawaii. Amazing food, though I am quite partial to their beaches. We'll take you there someday."

She frowned and added, "If I don't get caught."

He rolled his eyes. "We won't let you get caught. We've been doing this for awhile. We know how to evade the police and we'll help you."

She sighed. "I just don't want to go to jail."

"Nobody wants that Mel." He suddenly looked up. "Looks like its starting. C'mon," He pulled her towards the tent. "everything will be alright."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mel's..." She trailed off and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know, usually I would give my usual introduction. But tonight, I am a whole different person. You see, I'm not Melanie Kennith any more. From now on, I am the _**Fifth Horseman**_!" A collection of gasps and cheers rang throughout the audience. "Thats right folks. You people are the first to witness my first performance as the Fifth Horseman: Melanie Kennith edition." Another round of cheers went around. "Well, I'm happy to see you guys are excited. Now I know that a lot of people in the crowd tonight are like Thaddeus Bradley." Mel laughed as she heard a collective amount of boos go around the crowd. "But tonight, feel free to record anything you want. Just try and see if you can figure out my tricks. Because for my first trick as a Horseman, I am going to capture some stars!" Everyone gasped. "Thats right. I am going to go up in space and capture as many stars as I can carry. But I will not be alone. I need four volunteers to help me." Everyone in the crowd raised their hands enthusiastically. "Wow, a lot of people want a star. Alright then." Mel placed both of her hands on her head and gently massaged her temples. "I will use my psychic powers to locate the people I want to come with me." One by one the crowd slowly calmed down until Mel was only met with silence. Suddenly she snapped her eyes open and stumbled back. "Whats this? We have some very special guests in the audience tonight! Will the Four Horsemen please come out?"

The audience went wild as one by one, four people got up from their seats and walked on stage. Removing their glasses and hats, they revealed themselves as Daniel Atlas, Henley Reeves, Merritt McKenny and Jack Wilder. Mel nodded in greeting. "Hey guys. Didn't expect to see you here tonight."

Henley shrugged. "We wanted to be here to watch your first performance Mel."

Mel grinned. "Well how about being apart of my show? I bet its been awhile since any of you have been assistants instead of the main attractions."

Merritt shrugged. "Sure. What could happen?"

Mel's smiled grew into a grin. "Well, we'll need something to take you to space won't we?" Turning to the center of the stage, she put her fist to her mouth and blew. Fire sprung out from her fist, making a wave of flames on the stage that the audience could feel. When the fire finally settled down, in its place was a small aircraft facing the sky. It looked just like a miniature space shuttle.

Jack whistled. "Wow Mel. Looks a little tight, don't you think?"

Mel rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you guys will all fit. Go ahead, step inside."

One by one the Four Horsemen entered the shuttle. Daniel staggered a bit, but Mel grabbed the back collar of his coat and pushed him inside before slamming the shuttle shut. "Hey!" He protested.

Mel shrugged, though she didn't look very apologetic. "Sorry Danny," "Only Henley gets to call me that!" "but you were being too slow." Mel turned to the audience. "I suddenly developed a fear of flying yesterday," Her statement was met with laughter. "so I'm staying here." She turned back to the shuttle. "Now Henley, there's a red button on the dashboard. Do you see it?" Mel heard a muffled yes. "When I say blastoff, I need you to push the accelerator so you guys can get into space in the range of three to ten seconds. Can you do that?" She heard another muffled yes. "Alrighty then. Now, everyone count with me! Ten," A hole opened at the top of the tent. "nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, _**blastoff**_!"

The back of the shuttle exploded in flames, lifting the shuttle off the ground and lifting it into the air. The audience went wild as the ceiling closed and faces appeared on the screens above the crowd,

* * *

The ringing of a phone rang through an apartment one morning. Two groans responded to it; one low tenor, the other high soprano. "Can't you get that later?" The high soprano whined as a female body snuggled against the nearest thing it could find.

The male next to her ignored her in favor of picking up the phone. "Oliver Jackson speaking." The female sighed heavily, turning over to face away from the voice keeping her from sleeping before jumping at the shout of, "Again? And why me? Get Agent Rhodes to handle this!" A pause before more heavy sighs. "Alright alright. I'll be there in half an hour. Do you have her?" Another pause. "Good." He hung up and turned to his companion. "Sorry, work called. I'm going to need to escort you out."

The pretty female pouted. "Can't you just call them back to call in sick? I could use a back massage." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

The male only rolled his eyes and dragged himself out of bed. "Can't. So hurry up. We've got fifteen minutes.

* * *

"You," Oliver growled at his fellow officer. "better have a damn good excuse to be dragging me from my bed at seven in the freaking morning Austin."

The shaggy-haired detective only rolled his eyes and led his partner through the hallways of the FBI headquarters. "Try forty-seven _**billion **_dollars worth of diamonds falling from the ceiling of a magic show in central park."

That made the young ma stop in his tracks. "Are you serious?"

"_**Dead **_serious." They walked up to an interrogation room. Inside the room was a young woman examining her nails with disinterest. "Her name is Melanie Kennith, age seventeen. She's a rumored magic prodigy. They call her the Phoenix Judge because of her specialty: fire illusions. Only witnesses say the flames are real and it doesn't say anywhere in her record that shes ever experimented with hypnotism."

Oliver rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And we can't get Dylan Rhodes on the case?"

Austin rolled his eyes. "He's on his honeymoon somewhere in South America. He didn't leave us any more info, other than the fact that the area he was going to was so rural, the people there have never heard of electricity. In other words: no phones and no way of contacting him."

Oliver groaned again and took another look at his suspect. She was pretty, and unfortunately for him, his type. Her long black hair spiraled down her back in thick ringlets tired together with a scrunchie. Her eyes were the lightest color of blue he had ever seen. Being a trained detective, he could tell she had a pretty serious body underneath her tight clothes. Everything about this girl just seemed so well put together that it was hard of Oliver to imagine she wasn't some life-sized doll.

"Okay." Oliver sighed. "Let me watch the performance video, and then I'll question her."

* * *

She was so bored. The Horsemen had told her it would be awhile before someone released her, but she just didn't have the patience for this. Some heads were going to roll if someone didn't come entertain her soon.

The door open and Melanie smirked in her head. "Finally."

The agent who had come to interrogate her couldn't have been older than twenty-five. His face was chiseled, handsome and framed by a mop of dirty blonde hair. Melanie smiled as he sat down. "How old are you?"

He looked startled. "Excuse me?" She rolled her eyes and repeated her question. This time the young man frowned. "I'm sorry, but that question is kind of irrelevant to this case." Mel rolled her eyes again. Oh well. She would just have to get the info from Adrien. "Why don't we start with you?"

Mel smirked this time and Oliver felt as though she was a cat, and he a mouse. "Oh, but I'm probably not as interesting as you are."

"Well we are in here because of you." He couldn't help but point out.

Mel rolled her eyes again. "You do realize you have no case."

"Excuse me?"

She smiled sweetly and leaned forward. "Daniel Rhodes had this exact same conversation with Daniel Atlas two years ago, five rooms away." Oliver didn't even know how she knew that. "Mister...?"

"Jackson. Oliver Jackson."

"Mr. Jackson then. I work in a profession called _**magic**_, Mr. Jackson. Magic, to most magicians, is a way to earn money and fame." A tiny flame erupted from the tip of her finger. "For me and for many others, magic is a way of life." The flame went out. "Unless you would like to charge me with the offense that I have done a magic trick and performed it beautifully, I have a show to perform in," She mock-checked her wrist. "two days that I need to prepare for. And you have a starting point to get back to."

Oliver frowned. There was just something in her cocky voice that pissed him off, yet intrigued him. "You realize that if you want to get out of here without being charged with robbery, you'll tell me what you know."

"Whore, thief and trickster, Mr. Jackson. Despite what many of you people may call me, I never lie. I got those diamonds by magic and that is my statement. Now unless any of you or your FBI friends believe in magic, I believe I am free to go?"

* * *

An hour later as Melanie Kennith sauntered away from the building and into a limousine waiting for her, Oliver Jackson watched her every move.

There was no way she sent anyone into space and got billions of dollars worth of diamonds from out of nowhere. She had to have stolen them from somewhere and he was going to find out how.

He turned to Austin. "Where is her next show?"

Austin checked his phone. "Chicago, at the University of Roosevelt Theatre."

"Can you get me backstage passes?"

"Give me two minutes."

Melanie Kennith was going down.

Oliver Jackson would make sure of that.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

Mel squealed as she hopped out of the limo and straight into Henley's arms. "That was amazing! Scary, yet amazing! When do we do it again?"

Jack laughed and patted her shoulder. "Later, when you try and escape from the cops."

Daniel rolled his eyes and tapped Henley on the shoulder. "Well I hate to interrupt your little love fest, but we have a show to perform."

Mel rolled her eyes, but stepped out of Henley's embrace. "You just want Henley all to yourself, don't you Danny-boy?"

Daniel flushed as everyone roared in laughter. "Oh shut up you guys." Mel couldn't help but smirk when she noticed he didn't deny it.

Mel stopped laughing first and lapped her hands excitedly. "So, whats next?"

Merritt gestured to the plane behind them. "Now, we head to the windy city for your next performance." His smile was not unlike Cheshire Cat's. "This one is going to be fun."

* * *

Oliver Jackson was not having a good day.

His one night stand from the other day had come whining to his apartment, something about money and her suckish life. And she left, but not before shattering a picture frame, shredding his couch with a plastic knife and throwing his phone out the window on her way out. On top of that, he missed his flight and had to reschedule to a red-eye.

He couldn't sleep on planes. Not that he would have been able to. His seatmate was an old lady who snored like an elephant and the other was a teenage brat who would not _**shut up**_.

The best part? He could not get Melanie Kennith off his mind, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his already-finished book or the girly teenage movie they were showing.

Ergo, his day was really starting to suck.

The girl was underage for God's sake! Even if he somehow managed to woo her, she was seventeen and still years away from being able to have an actual relationship with him. And he was an FBI agent, meaning he _**had **_to follow the rules. They had only been drilled into him half a million times. He sighed. He really needed to get his head back in the game.

Instead, Oliver concentrated his thoughts on the video he watched when he was at Headquarters. It was an amazing show, he would give the Kennith girl that. At the end, the ceiling opened and millions of tiny diamonds began to rain from the sky. The crowd stood up, trying to grab as many diamonds as their hands could grab. And in the middle of it all, Melanie Kennith was smiling in amazement, just like the rest of the audience. Less than sixteen hours later, there was a report of a large jewelry company being robbed of all their diamonds. 47 billion dollars worth of diamonds, stolen, and no solid proof that Melanie was the one who did it. The only proof they had that magic was even involved was that on the security footage, the crates of diamonds had the lid lifted without any physical help. It was almost as if something invisible was moving that box. One by one, large bushels of diamonds floated out of their crate and out the door. No strings, no hooks and no bags, no fingerprints. Not even a lousy stray hair.

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. Unfortunately, no one like Thaddeus Bradley was going to help him out. Ever since his arrest a year ago, exposers like Thaddeus had been quickly losing their jobs. No one wanted to know how magicians did their tricks anymore. And even though the offer to heavily pay them had been there, no exposers wanted to work with the FBI for fear of being arrested. No one wanted to work against this new Horseman.

Oliver was on his own with this case.

"Attention passengers. We are now beginning the descent to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Please keep your seat-belts on until the signal turns on. Thank you for flying Southwest Airlines. Welcome to Windy City."

* * *

"Are you crazy?" Melanie winced at the loudness of Daniel's tone. He was currently shouting at the theatre's manager for allowing backstage passes to the show. And when the Horsemen heard the identity of the buyer of the only backstage ticket available, Daniel exploded. "This could ruin everything! Absolutely not! What in world possessed you to even think this is a good idea?"

"Danny calm down." Henley soothed, placing a hand on her boyfriends chest to keep him from jumping out and strangling the shaking manager. She turned to the frightened man. "Is there anyway we can cancel this pass? Anyway at all?"

The manager quickly shook his head, still staring warily at a seething Daniel Atlas. "Tickets are non-refundable."

Mel rolled her eyes. "Guys, its not that big of a deal. I'll show the guy around stage, he'll ask some questions and then he'll have no choice but to go back to his seat and watch the show. Even if he tries to get up from his seat and arrest me, we have security guards here right? We'll just proceed as plan and hope for the best."

Jack looked troubled. "Are you sure you can do this Mel?"

She rolled her eyes again in response. "Who exactly is the prodigy here again?"

* * *

The one thing Oliver thought when he met the threatre manager was that he reminded Oliver of a sweaty walrus. He was huge, short and Oliver wasn't surprised to see that he had three chins. The strangest thing about him was that he kept glancing at Oliver nervously, and then again at the stage crew, some of whom were even glaring at the man. Oliver had a feeling that it probably had something to do with him being the man who was assigned to catch Melanie.

The manager led him to a room that was being guarded by two security guards. The star plaque read _Melanie Kennith_. The managed nodded to the guards, who nodded back and moved aside to let them in.

The first thing Oliver saw was flowers. Dozens of flowers in every variety, from roses to sunflowers, covered the dressing table and most of the furniture. A large basket on the couch was filled with letters, probably the letters that came with the flowers.

And beside it all was Melanie Kennith.

She had a small table in front of her and was writing something on another pile of cards. From a normal point of view, it looked like she didn't even hear him come in. But to Oliver's trained eye, he saw her freeze for less than a second before continuing to write.

The manager coughed. "Miss Kennith?"

"Yes?" She sounded uninterested. "What is it?"

"Your guest has arrived. This is Mr. Oliver Jackson."

"Take a seat Mr. Jackson. Mr. Davis, you're free to leave."

The manager couldn't help but look relieved as he scurried out of the room, leaving Oliver and Melanie to an awkward silence.

Before he could say anything, Mel held up her hand. "Wait just five more minutes. I'm responding to some fan mail."

That surprised Oliver. "Don't you usually just throw away fan mail?"

Mel rolled her eyes. "Only snobby rich stuck-up stars do that. Part of the reason you're famous is your fans. They're there to support you, say nice things about you, and keep you up when you feel down. Thats why I always reply to fan mail in my spare time. Its just me giving my thanks to my fans."

The young man smiled. And now there was something else that intrigued about Melanie. "Well thats certainly refreshing."

"Huh?"

"While I'm sure you'd rather not listen to an old geezer's point of view, I'd say that most stars, magicians or not, forget the fans when they become famous. And seeing you, answering your fan mail with no complains is just...refreshing."

Mel blushed at his complements. "You aren't _**that **_old." She smiled. "And thanks. It means a lot to hear that someone actually acknowledges what I do."

"Even if its from the guy trying to arrest you?"

She smiled. "Even if its some creepy hobo asking me for money."

The room was filled with laughter when Jack knocked on the door. Mel was doubled over laughing while Oliver was simply slapping his knee. The male magician had certainly not expected Mel to be laughing with the detective trying to bring her into custody.

He coughed and they stopped laughing. "Show is on in twenty minutes. The guest needs to leave."

Mel nodded. "Alright. I'll show him out."

Jack looked pained. "Are you sure? Can I at least come with you?"

She rolled her eyes and stood up, pulling Oliver with her. "I'll be fine. Just make sure _**he **_is in place."

Jack nodded, shot Oliver a glare and then left. Oliver turned to Melanie, raising a brow. "_**He**_?"

Melanie rolled her eyes again. "Lets go."

* * *

"And thats where the rope for the curtain is."

Oliver had been given a basic backstage tour by Melanie. Nothing too specific though. No matter how much he pried, he couldn't get her to reveal where the trap door was.

They stopped outside the Employees Only door and Oliver turned to Mel. "So this is where we say goodbye Melanie."

"Call me Mel." She shrugged. "But yeah, it is. It was,"

"Nice." They said at the same time. They chuckled and slowly lifted their heads to gaze into each others eyes. Slowly, as if petting a sleeping cat, Oliver pushed a strand of hair out of Mel's face and cupped her cheek. The flush of her cheek burned his hand, yet he could not let go. Even slower, Oliver dipped his face down closer to Mel's. Their lips were just about to brush when the sound of the door opening startled them apart. If Jack looked mad before, he was practically steaming now.

"The show is starting in ten," Jack ground out, glaring furiously at Oliver. "and Henley is freaking out 'cause you haven't gotten your hair and makeup done yet."

Mel sighed. "Henley freaks out if I'm anywhere out of her sight. Tell her I'll be there in a minute." Jack just kept glaring at Oliver, who was starting to sweat under the keen glare of the younger man. "Jack!"

The male magician broke his eye contact. "What?"

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? Like helping Merritt or Daniel?"

"No."

Mel turned on him with a glare of her own. "Jack!"

"What?"

"Get out of here. And quit acting like my older brother!"

Jack blushed and backed away. "Fine." He mumbled. "I'll see you later." He fired another glare at the detective. "Keep your dirty paws off her."

Oliver could clearly see that he wanted to say something else, something that implied that the relationship between Jack and Mel was not as simply and sibling love. Before he could say anything though, Mel jumped in. "I'll be fine Jack." The finality in her tone made Jack glare at Oliver one more time before walking away. She turned to the detective. "I'm sorry about Jack. He likes to think he can tell me what to do whenever another member of the male species comes within a mile of me."

Oliver chuckled. "Its what any older brother would do." Not that Oliver thought that Jack's feelings towards Mel were brotherly. Just the opposite actually.

Mel glanced at the crowd. "I should go." Before she could even get through the door, however, Oliver quickly grabbed her wrist and held it to his lips before kissing her knuckles.

"Good luck with the show." His hot breath fanned her hand and she blushed. "I'll be watching." And he walked away, leaving Mel with a furious blush and softly rubbing the area he touched.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

Her heart was running a thousand miles an hour and she was sure everyone in the building could hear it.

She flushed even more as she listened to Henley's rambling about what to do with her hair. What was going on with her? She was Melanie Kennith! She was the magic prodigy that not even Thaddeus Bradley could figure out! She had stolen 47 billion dollars worth of diamonds, and hadn't been charged or arrested! She was the fifth Horseman for God's sake! And now what was she becoming? Some silly girl with her first crush?

Her eyes watered up as she felt her heart sink. Even if she did fall in love with him, he was a cop that was trying to arrest her. She would have to stop being a Horseman to actually have a chance with him.

"Mel?" She turned around to see Henley looking at her with concern. "Is everything okay? Did that Jackson guy do anything."

She shook her head and mentally slapped herself. "Nah. The guy just wanted to know where the trap door was." She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the thumping of her heart at the thought of his lips on her hand. "The guy is harmless."

Henley didn't look convinced, but shrugged. "If you say so. How do you like your curls? Big and poofy or tiny?"

"Whatever wont get in the way of the show."

Henley frowned. "That doesn't sound like curls."

"Couldn't you just do a slick ponytail? You could put those awesome feathers in. And tie it all with that ribbon we bought yesterday."

Henley visibly brightened up. "Oooh! Good idea! And maybe..."

* * *

Jack Wilder glared at Oliver Jackson as he oversaw the backstage workers handling the equipment. Just who the hell was this guy to think he could just swoop in and sweep Melanie off her feet? That was his job!

Ever since he met Mel he had been enchanted by her performances and her fiery personality. She had a sharp wit, a good sense of humor and she could beat him at poker. He, who was the undefeated champion of poker, had lost in just two minutes and forty-seven seconds. And it really didn't hurt that she could out drink all of them under the table and still pass a sobriety test. And did he mention that she was only seventeen?

Jack felt a push on his shoulder and turned around to see Daniel Atlas smirking at him. "Don't be so jealous."

Jack tried to hide his blush. "What do you mean?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Its so obvious. You think Oliver Jackson is a threat because we all saw him make a move on Mel. We all saw the smooth and subtle caress of the hand, the way his lips barely brushed her pulse line, and the way she blushed when he whispered something against her knuckles."

"What are you," Jack snapped. "a romance novel?"

"He's been reading them," Merritt suddenly appeared behind Jack, scaring him and Daniel. "to find out what Henley likes. Not to mention the sex tips are pretty nice."

Daniel flushed, but didn't deny it. "Anyways, we all know you're jealous Jack."

"Jealous of what?" Jack mumbled, still staring at the young detective.

"The fact that Melanie likes him."

Jack whipped his head around to glare at Merritt. The older man flinched. His normally warm brown eyes were frosty and nearly black. "I'm not jealous." Jack hissed. "Besides, Mel can't fall for that stupid detective. He's the one trying to _**arrest**_ her. He's probably just trying to get her to let her guard down so he can get into her head and find out the best way to take her down."

Daniel shot Merritt a sardonic smile. "If thats what you want to think Jack."

* * *

Oliver glanced impatiently at his watch before whipping out his cellphone and dialing his partner. "Everything in place?"

"You got it, Jackson. We've got guards stationed at every exit and every camera possible hooked to our screens. Even Dylan Rhodes would be impressed."

"Good. Keep an eye on every possible escape route and make sure every guard assigned to an exit has an extra eye helping them out. We don't want any surprises."

"Okay. I'm going to make sure everything is in place. How was the backstage tour?"

"Interesting. I got a good view of the stage, but Mel wouldn't tell me where the trap door was, no matter how much I pried."

"...Mel?"

"Crap." He had not meant to call his _**suspect **_by her nickname. The detective began to stammer. "I-I-"

"Did something...happen when you were on the tour?"

"No!" Oliver shouted so forcefully some of the audience members in front of him swerved around to look at him weirdly. He ignored them and continued to shout into his phone. "Nothing happened! Look, just be prepared for anything alright?"

"Alright. Hey man, if you want to talk–"

"Just do your damn job and I'll do mine." He hug up the phone, putting it in his pocket with a huff. Jesus. No one could give him a break around here, could they?

He couldn't stop thinking about her! Whenever he saw something black he was instantly reminded of her long black hair. When he was drinking water he was reminded of her penetrating eyes and how they froze him in his shoes. Every time he looked at a woman he wondered if her lips were as soft as Mel's, if they could keep a man on their toes like Mel could.

And after the tour? It just got a lot worse.

He never knew someone in show business could be so kind and heartfelt towards her fans. She was even kind to her stage crew! While they were on their tour, Melanie noticed that a female crew member was having trouble lifting some sort of box. Instead of getting someone else to help her, Mel snapped at the nearby crew for not helping her out and began lifting the box with her.

Oliver didn't think he had ever been as flabbergasted as he was right then and there. She just kept finding out new ways to surprise him. Be it her kindness or wit, she kept him on his toes. He had to be honest: he wasn't used to that. Women usually fell at his feet and he always had a warm body in his bed at night. But he soon realized he wasn't looking at Mel like she was just another annoying woman. She had a head on her shoulders, was smart and had similar interests to his.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Mel's voice boomed out of the speakers and broke him out of his thoughts. "Welcome to Chicago! Lets start the show!"

A cloud of smoke appeared on stage. From it, the senior Horsemen walked out. The crowd went wild with their appearance and Oliver couldn't help but clap along with the crowd. He himself was a small fan. He knew he should hate them for making a fool of the police, but in all honesty the entire government was made up of fools. And they hadn't hurt anyone who deserved it. In fact, from what Oliver heard, they helped a tremendous amount of people.

Daniel Atlas started. "Thank you!" He shouted to the audience. "Its nice to know that not everyone is chasing after us to arrest us." He laughed when the crowd booed.

Merritt McKinney took over. "Well unfortunately for you guys, we're not the main attraction tonight."

"Thats right." Henley Reeves put in. "Tonight, we celebrate our newest member. She's brave,"

"Resourceful," Chimed Daniel.

"Spunky," Merritt put in.

"And full of fire." Jack Wilder stepped up. Oliver could have sworn he smirked right at him, but it was gone before he could look twice. "Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome a new member of the Horsemen." They turned to the center of the stage, pointing in that direction. "Please welcome,"

"Melanie Kennith!" They boomed together.

On cue, Melanie stepped forward from the smoke. The stage lights surrounded her in a soft glow, making her look like a goddess. She wore a white quarter-sleeved shirt with a tight red tuxedo vest that pushed her chest up. With it, she wore black slacks and her signature red heels. Her hair had been pulled back into a sleek high ponytail. There were red feathers and ribbons weaving in and out of her hair, catching the glow of the stage lights and making her hair look like tiny flames weaved in and out of the stands.

She waved to the crowd. "Hey everyone! We're gonna have a blast tonight!" The crowd roared, expressing their pleasure. "Good, glad to see everyone so excited. Tonight, as my lovely assistants, the Four Horsemen!" They waved and bowed. She gave the crowd time to calm down before she went on. "And don't worry," She winked. "none of my assistants are going up in flames tonight. Sorry ladies, maybe next time" The crowd laughed, and Oliver couldn't help but laugh with them. "And now, on with the show!"

* * *

Mel did a series of complicated tricks that even Oliver's trained detective eye couldn't comprehend. She juggled sharp mirrors, shot flames out of her mouth and set Daniel's pants on fire (although Oliver was pretty sure she didn't mean to, but it was funny anyway) and chopped Henley's head off. That one scared him. He was pretty sure he saw the man in front of him turn green (it would explain why he excused himself). But when the boxes Henley was in came together she was just fine. Smiley as always, although she was rubbing her neck.

Oliver couldn't help but feel his heart stutter when as he watched Mel's performance. Her eyes lit up as she did another series of complicated tricks and she couldn't stop smiling. She was in love with the stage and she seemed so relaxed.

The crowed roared once again when Mel took center stage. "Tonight," Her voice was slightly breathless, but still beautiful nonetheless. "for my final trick, I need a volunteer." Almost at once, every audience member in the crowd raised their hands. She put out her hands, motioning for everyone to calm down. "Okay, this is gonna get tricky. Guys?" She looked to her assistants. "Any ideas?"

Merritt grinned at the crowd and pointed in a random direction. "She looks suitable."

"Suitable or sexable?" Henley muttered, making the crowd laugh.

"I could be your volunteer." Jack wiggled his eyebrows at Mel, but she rolled her eyes.

"Nah, I need someone else." She looked thoughtful. "Everyone! I need you to pick out a random letter! Just shout it out in your head along with your name." The audience went silent before her voice rang out. "Annalise? Annalise Riley? Stand up if you're here."

A thin woman stood up. "Here!"

"Is your letter B?"

Annalise squealed. "Yes!"

The crowd excitedly murmured as Mel nodded. "So we'll be looking at Section B. Where is Section B?" The area above Oliver shouted excitedly until Mel motioned for them to calm down. "Now I need a row. Everyone, pick out a number between one and...sixteen!" Again, the crowd went silent before Mel shouted a name. "Roy? Roy Charleston?"

A portly man with a large beard stood up. "Thats me!"

"Is your number five?" The man nodded excitedly and the audience started to whisper louder. "Can everyone in row five please shout where you are?" You would have thought it was a rock concert the way the people in row five as they screamed as loud as they possibly could. "And now, I need a number between twenty and forty-two." Once again, the audience went silent as they thought their number and their name. "Jonshai? Jonshai Le'Brai?"

A beautiful African-American woman stood up. "Right here!"

"Is your number thirty-seven?"

Jonshai squealed. "Yes!"

Everyone clapped as Mel called out, "Could the person in Section B, Row Five, Seat Thirty-seven stand up please?" The man who stood up was slightly balding and clearly old. But he had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and there was something about the way he smiled that made Oliver straighten up in his chair. A stage assistant handed the man a microphone and Mel spoke. "What's your name stranger?"

The man smirked. "Annith McKinney."


End file.
